Tag Archives: 2012

Giveaways, SPECIAL FEATURE: The Travelers, The World (TRAVEL)

Something *NEW* (The Lady’s 2012 Blog Project)

In my year-ender post, I mentioned that I’m working on a special project for THIS blog of mine.  And I’m happy to say that d-day has come to finally reveal it (meganon?!)

On my sidebar, you can see “The World” as one of my categories.  And yeah, I’ll be adding a subcategory called “SPECIAL FEATURE: The Travelers” — which is kind of self-explanatory.  Obviously, I’ll be featuring one traveler per month, but they won’t just be any travelers.  For the first half of 2012, my goal is to cover EVERY CONTINENT.  Which brings us to…

Six Continents in Six Months

To satisfy MY and YOUR “wanderlust,” I’ve contacted some of the people I know who’ve been to each continent to share their very own stories (thanks much to some of my friends who already agreed to do this project with me!)  So if you’re itching to travel but still haven’t quite reached your “travel fund” goal yet, then all you have to do is sit back, relax, and READ MY BLOG!  Of course I expect you to enjoy, too, along the way! 😀

So that’s six months, six continents: South America in January.  North America in February.  Oceania (or Australia) in March.  Europe in April.  Asia in May.  Africa in June.  After that, let’s see what happens…

So check back every 12th of the month.  Wala lang…  Kasi 6+6 = 12 — 2012!  Haha, sabaaaw!  But yeah, EVERY 12TH OF THE MONTH.  Starting this January 12, 2012…  See ya!

In the meantime, you can check out my very own “travel history” here.  (Oy don’t expect much!  I, myself, am a “budding traveler!”  Hahaha!)

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AND OH!  Since it’s the New Year and all that — wherein “cleaning” is one of the infamous resolutions — I decided to do my own “cleaning!” 😉  I’m such a major bookworm that my room is already FULL of books — both read and unread.  I can actually “earn” from them if I ever decide to have a “rent-a-book” business (haha!) or sell them for a fraction of their costs.  But no, I have a better idea!  Instead of making a profit out of them, I’ve decided to give them away for FREE!  Don’t worry, they’re all in GOOD CONDITION.  And yeah, I prefer to call them PRE-LOVED instead of secondhand!  Think The Lady’s Pre-Loved Books!  Mwahahahahaha! 😛

And since our theme is TRAVELING, I scoured my entire book collection for some travel-themed ones!  Hence one of my favorite book series, Students Across the Seven Seas (S.A.S.S.) 🙂

“Students Across the Seven Seas is a novel series published by Penguin.  There is no set author for the series.  The books center around a fictional Study Abroad program which shares its name with the series title…”

I’ll be giving away TWO BOOKS to ONE WINNER:

Now and Zen by Linda Gerber
(set in Japan)

 and

When Irish Guys Are Smiling by Suzanne Supplee
(set in Ireland)

To join, simply send me your answer to this question (in one sentence, please):

“What is your DREAM DESTINATION and WHY?”

Send your answers to mikhaelageorgette@gmail.com (I repeat, only one sentence) on or before January 14, 2012 (Saturday).  The winner will be notified directly via e-mail.

[CONTEST CLOSED]

Bon voyage, mi amigos!!!  (Oha, I just used both French and Spanish in ONE SENTENCE!  Hahaha! :P)

P.S: Don’t forget to come back on January 12, 2012 (Thursday) to read all about my very first featured traveler!  Ciao!!!

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Marked on the Calendar, Year Enders

The Year Ender :)

Aahhh…  Another year has passed us by!  And since this is my year-ender blog post, please allow me to take a few moments to reflect on the year that was: 2011.  And how do I propose to do that?  By listing SOME OF THE THINGS I WASTED AND MADE THE MOST OUT OF IN 2011. 😉

Wasted:

1. Money – I think half of which was spent on MILK TEA!!!  So this coming 2012, I’m sooo going on a milk tea fast — NOT!  Hahaha!  Adik lang! @_@

Another proof?  Two words: Juju Cleanse.

It STARTED with this…

…then PROGRESSED to “these.”

Don’t get me wrong…  A LOT of people have said good things about this cleanse, and why shouldn’t they?  After all, it’s REEAAALLLLYYYYY good for the body.  But if only I had known that I’d be feeling sick and close to puking while I was on my third bottle, I never would’ve spent Php2,500 for six “juicified” veggies that I was required to finish ALL IN ONE DAY!  FAIL!!!  But then again, that’s just me.  To each his own, people!  I repeat, TO. EACH. HIS. OWN. 🙂

BUT when I finally held bottle #3, I just couldn’t END it with much bliss. 😐

2. The first five months of my *new* gym membership – reference on #1: milk tea = heaps and heaps of CALORIES!!!  And BOOM!  Just like that, another “health project” went down the drain…  Gaaah~  (I sooo hope this changes for the better in 2012!  Paaak!)

3. Time spent on social-networking sites – Facebook, Twitter, you name it! — but not WordPress — hmm…  no, definitely NOT WordPress!  Haha!  But you know, BALANCE is always the key — and I just think I went a little “out of balance” when it comes to my social-networking activities in 2011. 😐

Made The Most Out Of:

1. B-L-O-G-G-I-N-G.  I’ve already mentioned SEVERAL times that I call 2011 my “blogging year.”  Yay WordPress!  And did I reach my goal to have 10,000 hits before the year ends?  CHECK!!!  But seriously, you’re already reading it…  do I really have to say more?

Oh yeah, I do have one more thing to say: I, THANK YOU! 😛

2. Driving skills – Makati?  Check!  MOA?  Ay nakooo, kahit yata nakapikit keri ko!  Chos!  Pero syempre, CHECK!  Nagtahan-Sta. Mesa-Tomas Morato?  Check!  Taft Avenue?  Check!  EDSA?  Check!  Check!!  Check!!!  Next year, SLEX naman!  Wahahahaha!  (Disclaimer: I said “driving,” NOT “parking.”  There’s a BIG difference, yah know?)

3. “Family and Friends” time – First, my niece turned ONE and had the awesome-est kiddie party evah!!!  And then she also traveled for the FIRST TIME. 😀  Second, most of my weekends were JAM-PACKED.  And third?  Milk tea date here, movie date there, just any kind of “date” (actually) everywhere.  Yun nga lang, puro FRIENDLY dates ah.  Waleeyyy man lang “romantic date” kahit isa!  Tsk, tsk, tsk. 😛

Ah basta, I LOVE YAH MI FAMILIA Y MI AMIGOS!!!  Mwah.

4. Graduate school – I’m already done with ALL of my coursework!  Yay meee!  Next step: comprehensive exam PLUS thesis!  Yiiikes me! 😦

And there you have it.  But wait…  please keep on reading…

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Before you decide to move on to that more important site (whatever that is) you have to set your eyes on, I have ONLY ONE request for you: please don’t finish reading this blog entry without watching the following video.  PLEASE WATCH IT.  I promise your nine minutes and 56 seconds will truly be WORTH IT. 🙂

(Thanks to my Idol Patty [Laurel] for “introducing” this video to me.)

This coming year, let’s make it a point to be more GRATEFUL.  Everyday.

But that’s not all…

I think each of us can also learn a thing or two from (the movie) New Year’s Eve‘s Ingrid:

BE AMAZED!!!

This coming year, I also dare ALL OF US to be AMAZED!!!  I don’t know…  be amazed by EATING.  TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS.  PRAYING.  TRAVELING.  LOVING.  WRITING.  Actually, ANYTHING.  As long as you get to have your own interpretation of the word “AMAZING,” do it!  Just. be. amazed! 😀

Then again, if I got to have my very own “Paul” (a.k.a. Zac Efron)…

…I think I’d be amazed enough!  But GOOD LUCK with that!  Hahaha!

Now, how’s that for New-Year’s-resolutions-gone-short-and-vague?  — ano daaaw?  =))

HAPPY 2012 TO Y’ALL!!!
Remember, BE GRATEFUL and BE AMAZED. ♥

2011, signing off…

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P.S: To spice things up a little bit, I decided to work on a “special project” for THIS blog come 2012!  So, watch for that!!!  Clue: if you love adventure, culture, food, and lots and lots of photos, then I can’t wait for YOU to read all about it (or them)!  Who knows?  That can be the start of your “be amazed” resolution!  Teehee – heehee with a capital “T” — isa pang clue ‘yan! 😉

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Marked on the Calendar, Reviews, The World (TRAVEL)

Planners Here, Planners There, Planners Everywhere!

One of the things I love about the Christmas Season is none other than the different PLANNERS offered by most establishments here in the Philippines!!! 😛  Mapa-bakeshop, bookstore, coffee shop, clothing store, kahit nga yata si manang sa suking tindahan…  halos lahat may offered na na planner tuwing sasapit ang Pasko!  Tama ba?  Hahaha!

Anyway, I’ve been really planning on making a post about planners (now that’s a lot of “plan” in one sentence!)  since last week but luckily, SPOT.ph made this “job” easier for me! 😉  This week, they’ve rounded up a list of the Top 25 Planners of 2012.  You can check it out here.

Three of my planners actually made it to the list!  Namely the Limited Edition Starbucks Coffee Philippines 2012 Planner, Papemelroti 2012 Planner, and Belle du Jour 2012 Power Planner!  Yay!!!

But I think the more important troubling point here is…  WHY THE HECK DO I NEED not just one, not just two, but THREE FREAKIN’ PLANNERS , you may ask?!  Okay, let me defend myself. 😀

First, I’m very O.C.  And not just any O.C.  As in the serious kind of O.C.  Some of you may be shocked to know this, but I actually have O.C.D. or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder!  Oo, yung “disorder” kind.  But no biggie.  I’ve been living with my O.C.D. self for more than a decade now (I started showing symptoms when I was in fifth grade) and I’ve learned how to “manage” my life with it.  Yun nga lang, sometimes it can be really tiring…  time-consuming…  and yes, sometimes it requires THREE PLANNERS!  Wahahahaha!

Moving on…

The Limited Edition Starbucks Coffee Philippines 2012 Planner

I just got mine (in bamboo) last week, and that’s actually my seventh Starbucks planner.  Ever since I had my hands on my very first Starbucks planner, wala pang taon akong na–skiskip!  So yeah, blame it on “tradition” kuno!  Hehe.  But seriously, if you’re a natural coffee drinker anyway (who just happens to choose Starbucks), then spending moolah shouldn’t really be an issue.

So for those complaining about how pricey these planners cost…  kayo ah!  Tsk, tsk, tsk.  Obviously, you’re just going to Starbucks just. so. you. can. get. the. planner. 😐  Puh-lease.  I don’t mean to sound rude or anything, but I’ve been drinking Starbucks ever since I was in sixth grade.  Hence, may planner man o wala, nag-staStarbucks talaga ako.  Kaya kung nagrereklamo kayo, edi ‘wag niyong buuin yung stickers!  Ganun lang kasimple!  Case closed.  Tapos!

O siya, peace on earth na ulit!  Hehehe. 🙂

Papemelroti 2012 Planner

I just started using Papemelroti’s handy-dandy planner this year (2011), but I’m still not sure whether or not I’m going to buy one for next year!  But c’mon, at P19.75 each + its adorable designs + convenience (it doesn’t take too much space inside my bag!) — and not to mention that it’s eco-friendly since it’s made of recycled paper, THIS IS DEFINITELY A STEAL!  Okay, fine.  I’m getting the princess-y one!  Heehee.

Belle du Jour 2012 Power Planner

2012 will be my first year to use a Belle du Jour (BDJ) planner, and the only thing that made up my mind is next year’s theme: TRAVEL!  As you can see on the picture…  Oh it’s travel-inspired, alright! ♥  PLUS it doesn’t hurt that it has tons and tons of coupons that can score me discounts ALL YEAR ROUND!  ‘Nuff said.

So…  Starbucks planner? CHECK!  But you see, my Starbucks planner is my “home planner” — meaning, it always stays at home.  I don’t know.  Maybe because I write more personal stuff in it?  Harharhar.  Now it’s just down to what gets to be my “bag planner.”  Papemelroti’s or BDJ’s?  I need mooore convincing.

Thoughts, please? 🙂 😉 😀

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How about you?  What’s going to be your 2012 planner?
Sound off in the comments section below!

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